ISTANBUL

The Zero Waste Forum commenced in Istanbul on Friday, organized by the Zero Waste Foundation, which was launched under the patronage of Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan, the Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Ministry, and the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

The Zero Waste Project was initiated by Erdogan, who is also chair of the UN High-Level Advisory Council on Zero Waste and the Foundation's honorary president, in cooperation with the UN.

The forum is being held for the first time this year, under the theme “People, Places, Progress.”

Key areas of focus will be transforming policy to practice, scaling solutions, mobilizing finance, and building alliances.

During the three-day forum, with participants from 104 countries and 118 international partners, panels will explore themes such as the definition of zero waste, regulations, finance, organic waste, the future of fashion, recycling, the impacts of AI, technology, and solutions.

Guy Bernard Ryder, UN under-secretary-general for policy, on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is among the attendees of the forum, along with UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach, and Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on climate issues Mukhtar Babayev.

The forum, also attended by Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, will conclude on Sunday.

The Zero Waste Foundation was established in 2023 under the auspices of the first lady. The organization operates to promote the Zero Waste Project and ensure its sustainability. Since its founding, it has been actively engaging with the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste, as well as the Zero Waste secretariat, including UN-Habitat and UNEP.